How to Cook Ground Turkey (the best way!)
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This recipe shows you exactly how to cook ground turkey on the stove so it’s juicy, well-seasoned, and ready in just 10 minutes. If you’ve ever tried cooking ground turkey and ended up with something dry and a bit bland, you’re not alone – it happens to most people the first few times. But those days are over! After you make it, you can use it for tacos, pasta dishes like this Meatball Marinara with Spiralized Courgette, chilli, gyro bowls, salads, and so much more.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: How to Cook Ground Turkey (the best way!)
- 🕦 Ready in: 10 minutes
- 🤝 Serves: 4
- 🍴 Calories: 213kcal
- 🧑🍳 Main ingredients: ground turkey, italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, garlic powder
- ✨ Summary: Learn how to cook ground turkey perfectly in 10 minutes. It’s so juicy, flavourful & works for absolutely anything!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Versatile: The best part about this lean turkey recipe is that you can easily adjust the seasoning to your liking. And once you how to make ground turkey, there are so many different recipes you could use it in, like this Easy Ragu Bianco.
- Fast cooking: Cooking turkey takes 10 minutes, so it’s perfect for busy weeknights. My Crunchy Shake and Bake Chicken takes minutes too!
- Flavourful: Ground turkey gets a bad rep because most people under-season it, but this recipe teaches you how to cook ground turkey so it’s super flavour and juicy. We use paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. It’s also a healthy alternative to ground beef which is a win.
If you have leftover turkey mince, consider making one of these yummy recipes: Southwest Ground Turkey and Rice Skillet,The Best Ground Turkey Pasta and Korean Spiced Turkey Mince.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Ground turkey: Part of learning how to cook ground turkey is grabbing the correct turkey from the store (see notes above). For this lean ground turkey recipe, I recommend turkey that has 2-7% fat. This seasoned ground turkey recipe will also work for ground beef, chicken, and pork. You could use any of them in this Mince Curry.
- Italian seasoning: I’ve included Italian seasoning in this ground turkey seasoning as it’s great for pasta dishes. However, you can swap this out with other spice mixes, depending on what you plan to use the turkey for. For example, if you’re learning how to cook ground turkey in a pan for tacos like these Vegetable Tacos With Chipotle Sour Cream, use a taco spice mix instead.
- Cayenne pepper: When you season the ground turkey with cayenne pepper, it adds a bit of a kick to the dish. If you have a low heat tolerance, consider using a smaller amount or leaving the cayenne pepper out completely.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
There are a few ways you can change up this recipe for how to cook ground turkey to meet your flavour preferences.
- Try different seasonings: Use whichever seasoning you desire. Be sure to prepare the meat with a seasoning that matches your intended recipe for the best results (like taco seasoning for ground turkey taco meat).
- Swap the protein: You can swap out the ground turkey for another ground meat of your choosing, like ground chicken, pork, or beef.
- Moisture boost: If you’re using very lean turkey mince (under 2% fat), it can dry out quickly. Add a small splash of chicken stock to the pan in the last 2 minutes of cooking. It keeps the cooked ground turkey juicy without making it wet or soggy.
How to make ground turkey the best
- Preheat a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat, coated with rapeseed oil/canola (Image 1).
- Add the ground turkey into the pan and break apart (roughly) with a spatula (Image 2).
3. Leave to brown on a high heat for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper (Image 3).
4. After this time, the ground turkey should have taken on some nice colour. Break apart properly now with your spatula and stir (Image 4).
5. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes, then add the seasoning and another generous pinch of salt into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium now and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes (Image 5).
6. Serve up with a crack of black pepper and enjoy! (Image 6).
Pair this ground turkey mince with one of your favorite dishes: Creamy Polenta with Parmesan, Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta and Cheesy Gnocchi Bake.
Tips for the best results
- Use a stainless steel pan over a high heat if you can. The browning you get is far better than non-stick, and that caramelisation on the bottom is where most of the flavour comes from. You get a similar flavour in this Mexican Chicken Salad with Roasted Corn & Bacon.
- Don’t stir too soon, leave it alone for the first 5 minutes.
- Learning how to cook ground turkey is all about the seasoning. Because it’s so lean, it needs more help than fattier meats. I season in two rounds – salt and pepper as it browns, then the spice blend near the end so nothing burns off.
- Since ground turkey is the star of the show, I recommend using a good-quality turkey brand. You’ll notice a difference in flavour when using lower-quality meat versus higher quality.
How to Season Ground Turkey & Make It Taste Good
The biggest reason ground turkey gets a bad reputation is that people don’t season it boldly enough. Because it’s so lean, it needs more seasoning than ground beef. It won’t carry itself on fat alone. I always season in two stages: salt and pepper early on while it browns, then the spice blend goes in at the end so the flavours don’t burn off.
The combo I use of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne works for almost anything. But the best way to season ground turkey is to match your seasoning to your end dish. Taco night? Use a taco blend. Pasta sauce? Lean into the Italian seasoning. Gyro bowl? Go with cumin and coriander. The turkey is a pretty much a blank canvas, which is what makes it so useful.
One thing that made a real difference for me when learning how to cook ground turkey: once the seasoning goes in, drop the heat slightly and give it a minute or two before serving. It lets the spices bloom in the pan rather than just sitting on top of the meat.
Best ground turkey to use
Fat content
I’d aim for turkey with around 7% fat (sometimes labelled 93% lean). It stays relatively lean but has just enough fat to stay juicy. Go too lean, like 99%, and you’re fighting a losing battle against dry tasteless meat no matter how well you season it.
Ground turkey breast vs mixed meat (dark and light)
Either works, but I actually prefer mixed meat (dark and light) over pure breast mince for this recipe as it has a bit more fat and flavour. Ground turkey breast is leaner, which is great if you’re counting calories, but you’ll need to be more careful not to overcook it. If that’s what you’ve got, the stock tip in the variations section above is worth doing.
Serving Suggestions
Now that you know how to cook ground turkey, you may be wondering what to use turkey for. Here are a few easy meal prep/dinner ideas: use the ground turkey for soup, stew, chilli, tacos, stir-fry, pasta meat sauce, egg roll in a bowl, meatloaf, burgers, or meatballs. Essentially, you can use ground turkey anywhere you would normally use other types of ground meat.
Try it in:
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
After learning how to cook ground turkey, you also need to know how to store leftovers (if there are any!).
Refrigerator: If you plan to use the leftover cooked turkey in ground turkey recipes in the next few days, you can store it in the fridge. Be sure to allow the meat to fully cool first. Then, store it in an airtight container for up to four days in the refrigerator.
Freezer: If you’ve doubled or tripled the recipe and want to store the meat for future recipes, you can store it in the freezer. Like above, be sure to let the meat cool before packing it in an airtight container or baggie. Then, keep it in the freezer for no more than six months.
Reheat: When you’re ready to use frozen ground turkey, allow it to defrost overnight in the fridge. Then, toss it in a pan over medium heat and warm. Be sure to stir the meat regularly.
FAQs
No, that’s one of the perks of cooking ground turkey over beef. It’s lean enough that there’s rarely any excess fat to drain.
The best way to cook ground turkey is with a bit of oil in the pan. Since turkey is quite lean, you’ll need to add oil to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
Yes, cooking it in a pan on the stove is actually the best method. Preheat the pan with a little oil, add the turkey and leave it undisturbed for 5 minutes to brown properly, then break it up, add your seasoning, and cook for another 5-7 minutes until there’s no pink left. Learning how to cook ground turkey is so easy once you have that down.
If you’re wondering how long to cook ground turkey, it’s important to note that different cooking methods will yield different cooking times. In a pan on the stove, ground turkey takes about 10–12 minutes total. 5 minutes undisturbed to brown, then another 5-7 minutes once you’ve broken it up. You’re looking for no pink remaining anywhere in the meat. If you want to be sure, it should read 165°F / 74°C on a meat thermometer.
Need inspiration for some quick and easy recipes? See my Marmite Pasta, Spaghetti al Limone and Creamy Tarragon Chicken.
If you tried this Ground Turkey mince recipe, it would mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
How to Cook Ground Turkey (Juicy Every Time)
Ingredients
- 500 g ground turkey (2-7% fat) (£2.65) (£2.65)
Cupboard Essentials
- 1 tbsp rapeseed/canola oil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Method
- Preheat a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat, coated with rapeseed oil/canola. Add the ground turkey into the pan and break apart (roughly) with a spatula. Leave to brown on a high heat for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- After this time, the ground turkey should have taken on some nice colour. Break apart properly now with your spatula and stir.
- Continue to cook for another 3 minutes, then add the seasoning and another generous pinch of salt into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium now and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Serve up with a crack of black pepper and enjoy!
Notes
- Opt for ground turkey with higher fat content, like 93%, to ensure a moister result.
- Season generously to your taste preferences, using spices and seasonings you enjoy for better flavour.
- Choose a high-quality ground turkey brand for improved taste and overall quality.
Nutrition
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